Suicide Buddies

Vodka and Valor

(hi tysm for readin', tap Sir Star if you do so wish to, a good thanks to you)

We arrived to complete chaos.

It was around nine-thirty by now, but someone who didn't know that could assume it was midnight at New Year's. Alcohol, smoke, sweat, bad cologne, and perfume created its own layer of the atmosphere around the house. Even as I parked all the way down the street—where the only parking was available—I could smell youthful mayhem.

From a distance, the large, white and gray-roofed estate stretched forever and a day. Lights were blaring out from the windows, from above the tall walls, breaking day into the night. Distant splashing entailed the Olympic pool was in full use. People of all grades were running out behind the house, over the lawn, and one even hopped the fence only to promptly throw up over the tulips.

It was, in short, out of control, and therefore electric.

Haru said, "I don't think I can do this."

I clasped his shoulders, inching him forward when he slowed down. "Come on, don't chicken out now."

"I'm chickening out."

"Don't worry, we'll be with you the whole time."

"That makes me more worried."

"It should," Rae admitted, and Maia pinched his ear.

I wrapped an arm around Haru's shoulders, the higher altitude making the air chilly. "I'll make sure you don't fall into the pool."

"What."

"And even if you do, you'll just swim out."

Maia shook her head. "Don't hurt the kid this early." She patted Haru's arm. "It'll be fun. I heard they have a sushi chef somewhere."

"Okay, right?" I said. "Where is he?"

"If I find him, I'll let you know."

She better. Mrs. Yang made great mandu but Maia took most of it and left me with a barely-there dinner. And people wondered why the world was cruel.

We continued onward.

The entrance was any door you could find that was open, and I went for the gate through the back way towards the yard since it seemed the safest. The house pulsed in time with screaming laughter and rumbling bass. I narrowly dodged a suspicious puddle on the black stone flooring as we turned the corner, and became bombarded with noise.

Haru said something to me and I furrowed my brow, the beat of the blasting music so loud and so violent it drowned out everything but the yells.

Haru tugged me down, shouting into my ear. "What's happening?" he tried.

I turned back to him, smiling. "A party, Haru!" I yelled back.

Maia and Rae were already descending into the concentrated crowds of kids, the blue light of the pool cascading over the massive walls and the open cityscape below. I peered inside through one of the archways, and pushed Haru forward.

"Come on," I called. "There's a table over there."

Luckily, he humored me, and we made our way inside.

Most of the lights were shut off to allow shadows to criss-cross over the crowd. Only a few lanterns hanging down from the ceiling were left on, but they were more than enough to see the sights of the Jungle.

In the long, open foyer, with tables pushed up against each other, leather seats discarded to the very end against the rounded windows, and a grand piano with three girls draped drunkenly unfitting over it, were at least twenty people with cups ready to fill of every possible alcohol imaginable, the sodas relegated to their sad corner at the very edge, far out of sight.